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Teaching Guidelines

Distance Education Guidelines
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High School Drama Courses

High School Oral Comm Courses
Recommended Unit Areas
Argumentation
Communication Process
Group Discussion
Interpersonal Comm
Interviewing
Mass Communication
Oral Interpretation
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Class Activities
Body Exercises
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Warming Up The Voice
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Golden Oldies Lyrics
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Storytelling
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Breathe!
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Voice Warmups
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Rate Control
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Let Me Hear It!
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To Project or Not!
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Parliamentary Procedure
Public Speaking
Voice and Diction
ASCA Oral Comm Position Statement
Addendum

Arkansas Guidelines

Department of Education Curriculums
Theatre
Communication - One Semester
Communication - Full Year

Oral Communication Units and Activities

TO PROJECT OR NOT TO PROJECT !

Unit(s): Voice and Diction/Oral Interpretation

Purpose:

The purpose of the activity is designed to give the student practice in expressing ideas or emotions with differing degrees of loudness.

Objective:

The student will express various ideas or emotions through varying degrees of loudness.

Materials:

  1. Volume handout.
  2. Handout for Individual Word Emphasis.
  3. Handout for Stress

Procedure:

  1. Students may read the volume exercises in small groups or in front of the class.
  2. Using sentences for "Individual Word Emphasis", students should practice giving emphasis to individual words to alter the sentence meaning.
  3. Students should practice specific emphasis by reading sentences stressing the underlined word.
  4. Repeat the same exercises emphasizing words other than those that are underlined in #3.


Volume Exercises

Expressing various ideas or emotions calls for differing degrees of loudness. Adjust the volume level as directed in the following sentences.

Use a soft or low volume

  1. Please lower your voice-mother has a headache.
  2. If we are very quiet, maybe he won't find out how late we got in.
  3. The baby's just started her nap-please be quiet.

Use a medium volume

  1. Pass the gravy after you've taken some.
  2. Please wait your turn at the end of the line.
  3. Your transmission needs a complete overhaul.

Use a full volume

  1. No, you can't go outside-I've told you three times!
  2. I said "hold," not "fold!"
  3. Get that light out this minute!


Word Emphasis

Read each of the following sentences emphasizing the word underlined.

  1. I can't do that.
  2. I can't do that.
  3. I can't do that.
  4. I can't do that.
  1. Will you go home, Tom?
  2. Will thou go home, Tom?
  3. Will you go home, Tom?
  4. Will you go home, Tom?
  5. Will you go home, Tom?
  1. Change your habits or leave.
  2. Change your habits or leave.
  3. Change your habits or leave.
  4. Change your habits or leave.
  5. Change your habits or leave.
  1. Press the record button firmly.
  2. Press the record button firmly.
  3. Press the record button firmly.
  4. Press the record button firmly.
  5. Press the record button firmly.
  1. Did Steve get an A in History?
  2. Did Steve get an A in History?
  3. Did Steve get an A in History?
  4. Did Steve get an A in History?
  5. Did Steve get an A in History?
  6. Did Steve get an A in History?
  7. Did Steve get an A in History?
  1. Is Linda flying to New York this summer?
  2. Is Linda flying to New York this summer?
  3. Is Linda flying to New York this summer?
  4. Is Linda flying to New York this summer?
  5. Is Linda flying to New York this summer?
  6. Is Linda flying to New York this summer?
  7. Is Linda flying to New York this summer?
  1. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  2. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  3. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  4. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  5. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  6. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  7. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  8. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  9. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  10. Did Tim promise Dave to meet him here at 3:00?
  1. She gave him the blue book.
  2. She gave him the blue book.
  3. She gave him the blue book.
  4. She gave him the blue book.
  5. She gave him the blue book.
  6. She gave him the blue book.
  1. She's got freckles on her but she's pretty.
  2. She's got freckles on her but she's pretty.
  3. She's got freckles on her but she's pretty.
  4. She's got freckles on her but she's pretty.
  5. She's got freckles on her but she's pretty.
  6. She's got freckles on her but she's pretty.
  7. She's got freckles on her but she's pretty.
  8. She's got freckles on her but she's pretty.
  1. Please don't stop.
  2. Please don't stop.
  3. Please don't stop.


STRESS

Your best friend has just starred in a campus production of Hamlet. After theperformance, you go back stage and say to him, "YOU WERE GREAT! WHAT A PERFORMANCE!" with the following suggested meanings.

  1. He was outstanding.
  2. He was outstanding. The others in the cast were atrocious.
  3. He was fair.
  4. He was awful.
  5. He was outstanding, and you didn't think he had it in him.
  6. He was a fine actor-several years ago.
  7. He was satisfactory, but not as good as he told you he would be.
  8. You slept throughout the entire performance, and you're asking him how effective he was.

In the following, stress the underlined word:

  1. But-on the contrary-it has given me faith.
  2. I haven't exactly decided what to do yet.
  3. No matter how much the meek may be bulldozed or gypped they will eventually inherit the earth.
  4. We'd talk about books and laugh at ridiculous people.
  5. Of course I drink milk with that-not out of the glass- but through the glass.
  6. He is thinking of something.
  7. How this would have amused him.
  8. You certainly ought to know what goes on in your own mind.
  9. That was his favorite island; that was where he was going.
  10. No, it's I who ask a favor of you.
  11. Perhaps it's the last thing you can do for me.
  12. I haven't the slightest interest in what you tell him.

Repeat the previous exercise, this time not stressing the underlined word, but stressing any other word which you consider to be relatively important.